17th Symposium (EN)

»…do not be afraid…«we have nothing to lose but our fear

During this year’s symposium, we will address a phenomenon that has been spreading across our society: an ever-growing existential fear and uncertainty.

Certainty has become a scarce commodity, uncertainty an everyday experience. Values that used to define Europe as a community of social welfare states are slowly becoming obsolete. Democratic and humanist principles are being questioned more and more frequently.

Social changes are occurring at a breathtaking pace that does not allow for time to reflect, to understand, to make sense of things. What matters today might mean nothing tomorrow.

In the face of current challenges, the political and economic elite has had limited success in conveying a sense of manageability to the public.

For many people, factors such as the persistent rise of economic inequality within our society, the lack of perspectives for young people, job insecurity, migration, as well as poverty among the elderly contribute to a general sense of impending doom.

Uncertainty and insecurity have become the jarring soundtrack to our daily lives, causing more and more people to become radicalised in their attitudes, speech and behaviour, even leading to fanaticism.

This is an extremely dangerous development which we aim to explore during our symposium via all forms of visual art as well as literature, while also attempting to define positions.

Due to the connections eu-art-network has established, artists from Austria and, primarily, from other EU member states will be invited.

The artistic perspectives contributed by the symposium’s participants will again be featured together in a “cahier d’art“. This will provide a space of visibility for their messages and allow them to reach the public, right up to Europe’s policy makers.